Name of Commissioner: DreamAngelsWebsite/C.com gallery:http://www.dream-angels.net/Character commissioned and series/video game (please include if this was the entire costume, just a jacket, prop, accessory, wig, etc.):
Rinoa Heartilly (Final Fantasy VIII), I only ordered the knit fabric for her duster because they have the best you can find.
I Paypal doesn't cover my purchase anymore (stupid of me to wait so long) and the fabric was quite expensive (125 USD for two yards of fabric).

Really? I asked them in the past about ordering just the fabric and they told me it was $40 per yard, I still have the email.
Geez these guys are so dodgy.

Name of Commissioner: Laura J. Vaughn
Website/C.com gallery: http://www.cosplay.com/member/37856http://cyborgseamstress.wordpress.com/
Character commissioned and series/video game (please include if this was the entire costume, just a jacket, prop, accessory, wig, etc.): Morrigan Aensland from Dark Stalker
Links to picture(s) of your commissioned item: N/A
Timeline (how long your order took to process): I sent her payment on February 27th.
Describe your Experience. Pros, Cons, Comments: I told her I would need the costume by May 14th. We talked for maybe one month after I sent payment. Ever since March 20th she's been ignoring my e-mails and messages I send to her on other sites (but still somehow finds the time to update her other social networking/websites... go figure.)
Final Grade: F-. Beware, I'm talking to PayPal and my credit card company to hopefully get something done about this awful mess. i'm probably not going to do another independent transaction from people on cosplay.com anymore. i regret that because there are so many amazing people on this site... but this all was just way too much of a headache for me.

Timeline (how long your order took to process) Ordered it April 26th, received it May 14th, right before the expected deadline

Describe your Experience. Pros, Cons, Comments.

Pros: I have ordered from China before and it took a good 2 months for it to arrive, but when I emailed this company I was rather worried they would either A) steal my money, B) Not be the right wig, or C) Not come in time. I emailed them saying I needed the wig before May 25th and they promised that it would be in before the dead line. And it did! I got it in the mail today, and the wig is beautiful! The fibers are high quality (really nice to the touch), the waves I needed for the back stay, and there is nothing wrong with the wig, wonderful prices, good communication, and really quick shipping, definitely recommend!

Cons: The wig was a slight shade off of the Green in the picture, but other than that it is still a really lovely wig

Comments: In total the wig coast me $32.00 with the shipping, I cant get over how much I love this wig! =D I cant wait to wear it to Anime North this year, it will really complete my Gumi cosplay, I feel sad that I have to cover the back with my hoodie because the wig at the back is so pretty and well styled. Will DEFINITELY buy from them again.

Final Grade: A

Would be a A+ but the colouring is off just a bit, but other than that I am happy =D

Name of Commissioner: Human_GoWebsite/C.com gallery:http://stores.ebay.com/humangocosplaycostumestoreCharacter commissioned and series/video game: Saya Takagi (Highschool of the Dead). Whole costume (meaning the jacket and the skirt). Links to picture(s) of your commissioned item:http://www.cosplay.com/costume/369973/Timeline (how long your order took to process) 2-3 weeks or so I think?Describe your Experience. Pros, Cons, Comments. I was very surprised by the fast delivery. I think I got it within 2-3 weeks after payment or so? They also respond really fast to questions, and when I wanted to make a small correction to the measurements they told me it wasn't a problem.

The costume itself is of good quality and the measurements seem accurate. The jacket is even lined and the skirt is nicely made. The coloring looks really accurate too. My only minus is that the black bow came with a really small safety pin I couldn't attach to the uniform. I ended up buying a black ribbon to attach the bow onto, so I could put it around the collar. I think there were a few loose threads and the buttons could've been fastened better, but that's nothing I can't fix on my own and I've always had these minor things when ordering cosplays.

What I did find weird is that the skirt was fastened with not just a zipper, but also velcro (?). Not only did it keep going open as I wore it, but it also stuck on my tights when I wanted to put it on. Previous skirts had a button which may have been a better option. Ah well...

Name of Commissioner: "Morluna" or "Laura J. Vaughn"Website/C.com gallery: http://cyborgseamstress.wordpress.com/http://www.cosplay.com/member/37856Character commissioned and series/video game (please include if this was the entire costume, just a jacket, prop, accessory, wig, etc.): Morrigan Aensland from Dark Stalkers (was getting the clothes and wings commissioned)Links to picture(s) of your commissioned item: N/ATimeline (how long your order took to process): I sent her payment February 27th. Due date was May 14th. (we agreed on it).Describe your Experience. Pros, Cons, Comments: We chatted on e-mail back and forth for a few days staring on Feb 21st. She told me she required a $200 deposit on orders about $400, so I sent a deposit on Feb. 27th. The last progress e-mail she sent me was March 1st. Ever since March 20th, she's been ignoring my e-mails, though still finds the time to update her facebook/twitter (go figure). The due date is passed and still no cosplay. (I guess I didn't expect my actual cosplay to come in considering she ignored my e-mails or any of my cries for help on twitter/facebook/deviantart/e-mail/etc.) I'm really upset considering ACEN (the con I was planning on wearing it to) is next week.Final Grade: F-. BEWARE THIS SELLER. I called PayPal and they told me that some people purposely stop communicating after 45 days because that is the liability limit for PayPal to help you with independent purchases you do through their website. I'm trying to get in touch with my credit card company to see what I can do about getting my money back. It's a shame.

Character commissioned and series/video game (please include if this was the entire costume, just a jacket, prop, accessory, wig, etc.) Darry from Gurren Lagann (Kiyal's Magical Time variation)

Links to picture(s) of your commissioned item

None yet, probably ever. A few progress pictures in the Cons section though.

Timeline (how long your order took to process) Posted an ad back on September 8th with a deadline for Anime LA 2011. That convention was January 7-9, 2011. Today is May 17th, and still no costume.

Describe your Experience. Pros, Cons, Comments.

Pros: Offered to deliver my costume as we live nearby each other

Cons: Missed the deadline by several months, communication is extremely delayed and iffy, works on other things before the commission (misplaced priorities), didn't pay close attention to the details in the reference art, haven't received item 4 and a half months past the deadline

Comments:

I asked her specifically for a quote the day I posted that ad, linking it to her. She said she could do it, and we discussed fabric choices, etc. She kept insisting upon a certain type of satin, and I kept saying I didn't want it to be shiny at all. She swore to me it wouldn't be shiny, so I dealt with it.

After I sent the first payment, communication dropped out a bit. Not wanting to badger her, I decided to give her some space and not bug her. As the convention drew closer to the deadline, I decided to send her some messages. She'd take a few days each time to respond, and tell me she hadn't started yet. She was too busy working on "other things". For example, costumes for herself, her friends, for some... music video, I think? Regardless, everything but my costume was her priority. I didn't mind, though, as long as she got it done on time. She swore to me about ten times she never misses a deadline.

So i waited. She told me she was going to Anime LA, since she lives in LA, and could deliver me the costume then. I was a bit excited for this, since I wouldn't have to pay shipping.

Well, a few days before the convention, she told me she was working on it, and it was going great. I should just bring the second half of my payment to the convention and get it from her. So at the convention, I arrived in what I was wearing with the costume (shoes, wig, and a tshirt and shorts to wear under it). I waited in the lobby, hoping she'd recognize my wig and find me.

I waited for about two hours. She said she'd be there early. So, while waiting, I checked my phone's internet to browse cosplay.com.

She sent me a message that morning. Saying she didn't finish the costume, was very sorry, and was no longer attending the convention. She said she "tried" to make it, and it came out way worse than planned, and she didn't want me wearing something this terrible.

So now I had no costume for the convention. I had to call a friend of mine, crying, and she brought me an older costume of mine to wear. Regardless, it was huge bullshit. I demanded a refund. She told me she "couldn't" refund me, since she already bought the fabric. But she'd finish it and give me a discount on the second payment. Pissed, I told her not to talk to me for awhile. She said she understood.

Now I was a bit less "happy" with her. I sent her a message two weeks later, saying I wanted the costume ASAP. She said no problem, she would get it done. I admit, I was bitchy at this point. She single handedly ruined that first day of the convention for me. If she had told me a few days earlier she hadn't finished it, I would have been happier. But no. She waited until the very last second when she knew I would be at the convention. Our messages had been happy and informal up to that point. Now all our messages were more formal and very less happy.

So every few weeks, I'd send her a message and ask how it was going. Again, she had too many other things to do and hadn't even started working on mine again. On February 22nd, she said:

Quote:

Hello, thanks again for being so patient. I should have some progress within the week. I have honesty just been swamped with other work. If I do not have the costume complete by March 18th, I will give you a full refund.

Then on March 14th:

Quote:

Hey, I'm still planning to ship it this Friday. I'll have some progress shots tomorrow afternoon. Thanks again for being so patient with me.

No progress shots. I bug her again later, she on the 23rd she says:

Quote:

I am extremely sorry for my delay again. I truly feel absolutely horrible. You shouldn't have to this wait this long, but I can honestly say that I have been working really hard to get everything done between your order and others. I am very close to finishing it up and am so far really happy with how it's turning out. Here's some progress shots from a couple of days ago:

Okay, looking good. I say it looks good and I await the finished product soon. We discuss shipping. She said she'd drive to my place in SoCal to deliver it to me or ship it to me for free. Weeks pass. April 12th, I get a message that she's "finishing it up" and going to ship it soon. She hasn't finished because she was visiting her mother.

Thats the last message I got from her. Frustrated, I stalk down her cosplay.com posts and find out she's been hosting some event in LA. Hosting an event rather than finish my commission. Priorities fail much? So I send her an email, deviantART note, and cosplay.com message. At this point, demanding the refund she promised me weeks ago, and threatening to expose her for the scammer she is on this site. A few days later, I get a response to the deviantART message. She said she wasn't a scammer, and asked my address so she could ship it out. She also told me she'd ship it for free, and I wouldn't have to pay the second payment or shipping. I wanted either the dress or the refund at this point.

So anyways. No dress. A week passes. On May 6th, she says she has had "issues with funds" and had to delay shipping it to me. She sent me an email this time, rather than cosplay.com or deviantART messages. She sent progress pictures (not complete like she said) of the before and after dresses.

Well, she screwed up big time on part of the dress. See the arrows at the bottom? They're supposed to be diamonds. I point this out to her, and she pretty much tells me she can't fix it, and she hopes its not a big deal. I tell her its not a HUGE deal, but I'm really disappointed.

Now she dropped off the face of the earth again until yesterday, in which she asked me again for my address. I told her right before typing this up.

Comments: Its a sad thing for me to know chinese sweatshops are more reliable than commissioners.

Final Grade: F-

Update 5/23: Still no costume, when supposedly shipped a week ago. And she lives in LA, so it shouldn't take longer than 3 days to arrive.
Update 6/16: Received costume today. Date on stamp says she mailed it yesterday.

See the shadows under my butt area? Yep. Thats my butt. She made it two inches shorter than the measurements I provided. The front is the correct length, but the back is TWO INCHES shorter than the front. It makes an odd shape when it does that, which is super odd.

The lining is black when she said she was going to make it red. That was disappointing. The red's edges are coming up and off with threads; she didn't hem or whatever you call it the edges. The strings are coming off...

When I opened the box, three buttons fell out. Seems she just hot glued the buttons on so half of them fell off before she shipped it, and she didn't fix that.

Like I said before, the diamonds on the scarf are triangles. Didn't fix that. The sleeves are a tad short, but thats not too bad. The collar is also an odd shape. Why in the world did she make it confine to my shoulder shape like that? Thats not how it looks in the reference, so its a bit odd. The yellow on the sides are also a different color than decided; I said to make them a yellow gold, but they're a blatant yellow color. And really uneven on the edges.

For positives? Its pretty nice regardless of those problems. It fits me nicely. The material is thick and comfy. The collar has interfacing in it so it stands up nicely. The zipper, while not totally even, looks really nice. Its a double zipper so it goes up, and zips from both the bottom and top. It is fully lined.

I'd give the costume itself about a C. It'd have a B if my butt wasn't showing. Now I'll need to wear some pretty long black shorts and have to deal with people making comments that my skirt is too short *sigh*

Pros: This is, without a doubt, probably one of the BEST commissioners I have ever had the experience of working with. First of all, the measurements they asked for were much more thorough then what most other places ask, and they even requested photos. Something I liked, because no one has the same body frame. Communication was excellent. They asked me questions like "Would you like shiny or unshiny fabric?" "Is this part white or blue?" "Do you want this sheer?" my deadline was May 21st and I received it on the 17th, The quality is AWESOME.

Cons: The skirt is too long, but I think it's better to have a skirt that can be shortened, as opposed to skirt that would show my butt off at the get go. Also the blouse is slightly tight, but that can attributed to the fact that I'm on my period, and thus am carrying water weight. If not, it's easily fixed with a slimming undergarment

Pros: Allows pickup of the item if you are willing to get there! Very responsive to my questions and concerns. I called to confirm information on the wig and when I could get it, and had a brief email exchange after the order was put in regarding when I could come pick it up. At Islington and Queensway in Toronto it's easily found. Offering a pickup option can potentially save money for some if you are in the area.

Cons: The wig is a touch darker than I expected. I'm fine with this, but for future buyers who may want different colours it might be worth emailing them and asking for an actual picture of the item. I would prefer to have a website use https when inputting shipping/buyer information. I don't like the "fee" they use for padding the order to a minimum amount.

Comments: Redirects to external sites for CC info. A "review" option in the checkout process allows you to send to order in without being charged; I used this to get the shipping costs waived as I was going to pick it up. Actually having the address of the place would be helpful in determining if it is actually worth driving to get your order.

Name of Commissioner:Akino-atelier (AKA Nancy Lam)Website/C.com gallery:http://akino-atelier.com/Character commissioned and series/video game: Vampire Knight Diamond buttons for uniform.Links to picture(s) of your commissioned item (out of package) http://www.cosplay.com/photo/2933452/
(on costume) http://www.cosplay.com/photo/2933453/Timeline (how long your order took to process): Bout 3 days, took 1 day to ship(tho I do live an hour away from her so that probably helped lol)Describe your Experience. Pros, Cons, Comments.: I had been looking for some silver diamond buttons to put on my Yuki Cross cosplay but I couldn't find anything that worked! I found some on Limebarb but I was a little hesitant to buy from them cuz I've heard bad things from them :X
I decided to do one last search on google for the diamond buttons and I found this site that sold them, I put my order in for 3(the set came with 12 and I needed 34, and it still cost me less than HALF of what Limebarb was gonna charge)and I waited patiently for my order to arrive. The order only came a few days later and I was so excited when I opened it, not just because of the buttons, but when I opened the package I found this ADORABLE lolita hair bow in the package along with the buttons http://www.cosplay.com/photo/2933454/
I messaged her wondering why I got the bow(lol) I didn't order it or pay for it. She said it was a free gift as a thank you for ordering from her(how sweet!! X3)
The buttons are great too, just as she described you just poke them into the fabric them bend the little hooks to secure it, they look great!!Final Grade: A+++!!!
She was really friendly, product came very quickly, and I love her free gift! X3 I read that she'll have a booth at Anime Expo, I can't wait to see her and thank her in person!!

I have a few reviews to do, but I guess I'll post them separately to minimize confusion and make it easier to link to. o-o

Name of Commissioner: cosroomWebsite: http://cosroom.taobao.com/Character commissioned and series/video game: Madoka Kaname (Puella Magi Madoka Magica), Partial Costume (everything but socks/shoes/wig/soul gem)Links to picture(s) of your commissioned item: http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=9576110996 and http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=7641358344Timeline: Ordered the costume through an agent. I ordered a custom sized one, and gave all my measurements. cosroom seemed to immediately get to work, since the costume was done & at my agent within 2 or 3 weeks. I also ordered a petticoat to go with the item, which was sent with it.

Pros: The costume is constructed very well. The fabric is not shiny or satin, which is an extreme plus. It also looks almost exactly as pictured. The petticoat is also as pictured, and short enough for the costume.

The gloves are very nice feeling as well.

Cons: There are a lot of cons, despite me loving the costume.. First off, when I got it, the shoulder area was measured so incorrectly that the sleeves just limply fell down my arms. I had to take it to a tailor to adjust it. I gave exact measurements too, so I really don't know why the strap was so big.

The bows are safety pinned on, though that's to be expected with a lot of Chinese cosplay sellers, due to them being mass produced. It's also easy enough to sew the bows on.

The choker was way too big, so I had to adjust it to be probably about an inch smaller.

The costume comes with a built in petticoat, but it doesn't seem to add too much puff. When I added the second petticoat I bought, it also added very little puff.. it'd be a great amount for just a moderately puffy skirt, but definitely not Madoka's.

My biggest issue was the white skirt piece. It's actually EXTREMELY short, and I'm going to have to replace it entirely. It doesn't really even cover my butt, and I was relying on the extra petticoat to do that, which even then barely does the job. There's no way you could even slightly bend or go to sit down with this skirt. The ruffles at the bottom are also VERY crumpled, and since they're on some weird elastic, they just won't go down flat. It makes it look really awkward.

Comments: The costume is very nice, save for the odd measurements and the white skirt. If anyone gets it, definitely make sure it could be a lot longer, or replace it entirely (though the zipper runs through the pink and white part, so that'll be a hassle to take apart if you want to do that).

The gloves have an odd, off-white lace on the top part that I hadn't noticed in the pictures beforehand, but it's not a big deal. Also, they added red ribbon to the hair bows that shouldn't be there, but it literally cold just be pulled right out with no issue whatsoever.

I'd give this a better grade if it weren't for the skirt and the fact that I had to end up paying $40 more to get it tailored since they messed up the measurements, but I don't consider tailoring in general something not to expect, since the costumes are probably factory made.

Name of Commissioner: huangguajun (?)Website: http://huangguajun.taobao.com/Character commissioned and series/video game: Madoka Kaname (Puella Magi Madoka Magica) wigLinks to picture(s) of your commissioned item: http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=9523039724Timeline: An agent placed the order for me and it was sent to them within 2-3 weeks, so it was quick. No other significant things there..

Pros: It's a wonderful color, though most similar to the very bottom picture. It's also veeeery soft and thick. It also has a skintop. The pigtails clip in easily enough.

Cons: I thought that the skintop ran all the way down the back though due to the parting in the picture, but it doesn't, so that was a dissapointment.
The bangs were untrimmed, which I wasn't expecting from the pictures, and sadly I really suck at cutting them and somewhat messed up, but that's my fault there.. xD;

Comments: The wig also definitely required thinning and spiking for the character, but that's not a complaint, especially since it looks as pictured, save for the bangs. The grade would be higher if their hair part wasn't so misleading, and the bangs were cut. They've added a picture after I ordered that showed they weren't though.